15 Quotes About Teachers From People We Admire

National Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 8th to May 12th. And, this year, teachers deserve our gratitude as much as ever. Every day, millions of kids rely upon our teachers to help them learn the skills they’ll need to grow up to be happy, and contributing, adults. On average, teachers work more than 52 hours a week, devoting an average of 22 hours outside instructional time to plan lessons and grade papers. And, the financial compensation for these most crucial workers is often far from adequate. But, despite the challenges, teachers just keep on going, inspiring us and helping us to become our best selves as they do. So, in honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, here are some quotes about teachers from people we admire to help inspire you.

1. “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” – President John F. Kennedy

2. “The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth’.” – Dan Rather, journalist

3. “Pat Summitt was an inspiring teacher because she made you want to be great. She did everything with class and dignity and had a commanding presence that motivated each of her players. She was intelligent, poised, caring, considerate and had a big heart.” – Kellie Harper, head coach of the Missouri State University Lady Bears basketball team

4. “Education is the best provision for the journey to old age.” – Aristotle

5. “I’ve been fortunate to have so many excellent teachers throughout my life. One I’ve never forgotten is my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. King. She would say, ‘Hillary, don’t put your light under a bushel basket!’ I didn’t exactly understand the metaphor at the time, but I knew she was telling me to work hard, be true to myself, and stand up for what I believe. Every child should have someone in their life who helps them see, from the very beginning, that they have something of value to offer the world. That’s what Mrs. King did for me. She was so encouraging, and it meant the world.” – Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State

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6. “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father and polymath

7. “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcolm Forbes, entrepreneur and publisher

8. “In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.” Lee Iacocca, executive

10. “My favorite teacher was Sister Nena, who taught me how to read and write in the first through third grades. She’s 83 now and my best friend. Without reading and writing it wouldn’t have been much of a life for me.” – Ann Patchett, author

11. “I went to a prep school in Connecticut, Kent School for Boys. My basketball coach Jim Wood really was my mentor from age 13 to 18, and just through teaching me the skills of basketball and being a coach, really, set up everything in my life, including, in a way, acting. Acting is a team, working for something bigger than just yourself, how to play with people, and all of that stuff. I still think of some of the lessons he taught me.” – Ted Danson, actor

12. “Mrs. Sandra McManus was a lot of fun. She believed in not only us, but a lot of students. Some of the students that had a tough time, she never gave up on them. That’s what I loved about her. It takes a lot to stay motivated and not become jaded as a teacher because you so often see so many cases you can’t help. But she never thought of it that way.” – Venus Williams, tennis champion

13. “Mrs. Doyle was my freshman and sophomore English teacher in high school. She taught us literature in a way that made us love it so much. She’d read Shakespeare out loud and Jane Austin out loud. She was an amazing teacher. She was also the drama teacher at my high school and introduced me to that. I loved her so much. She was an amazing teacher.” – Maura Tierney, actress

14. “Teach the children so that it will not be necessary to teach the adults.” – President Abraham Lincoln

15. “Krista Boseling taught English at H. Frank Carey High School, and was my favorite teacher amongst many favorites. She saw potential in me and encouraged me to fulfill that potential. Ms. Boseling not only shared her love of writing and the classics with me and my classmates, she also taught us to use our talents wisely and that the sky was not the limit.” – Mike Massimino, astronaut and author